Prospero Experiment in "The Tempest"

Summary: Prospero's attempt to restore his daughter Miranda to her lost position in society was a success in William Shakespeare's "The Tempest."

The events in William Shakespeare's The Tempest are, indeed, an experiment by its main character Prospero, the true Duke of Milan who lives on a deserted island with his daughter, Miranda, after being exiled by his brother Antonio, the usurping Duke. He uses his supernatural powers to generate a magical tempest which destroys the ship caring his brother, the King of Naples, his son and others and transports it to the island. Although this experiment accomplishes many of Prospero's goals--to give his daughter a proper place in society and become the Duke once again--it is merely a partial success as, in the process, he relinquishes his life's love: his books and his magic.

One of Prospero's main reasons for establishing this plot is his wish to provide Miranda her lost position in society. On this barren island, Miranda has only seen two only men in...